Bismarck Randonneur

Hwy 10, West of Mandan

Monday, December 25, 2017

This year saw a significant uptick in mileage, eclipsing 2200
miles total.Most mileage was attributed
to commuting, where I logged over 75 trips to work.Long-ish rides on the Koga-Miyata were
limited to the one 200km brevet in Montana and time on the Mickelson Trail,
both occurring before June.

A good year, overall.
Certainly less randonneuring than I’d like, but until my work and eldercare
responsibilities lessen a bit, one or two brevets per year may be all that’s
reasonably possible.

Looking forward to cycling in 2018! I envision riding in Minnesota, as the
TCBC randonneuring group has an excellent slate of planned rides.

There’s also the possibility
of resurrecting singletrack riding next year, pending an addition to the
stable.

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Plans for a late summer 200k gave way to increased eldercare
demands, requiring me to stay near Bismarck over the weekends for much of
August and September.Unable to get away
to Montana (Yellowstone 200k) or Minnesota (Hills of Wisconsin 200k), I looked
for a substitute activity to fulfill an itch of ‘doing something big’ close to
home.On a whim, I signed up for the
Bismarck Marathon thinking it would address the ‘itch’ while providing an
opportunity to evaluate my physical/mental response to a runner’s endurance
event.I framed it to friends and family
as 'an experiment', and besides, the cost for the
marathon and half-marathon were the same, so I figured I’d just as well get the
most for my money by going the full distance.It seemed a logical choice (at the time).

I registered on September 10th, six days before
the marathon, thereby eliminating any opportunity to train.Moreover, my only preparation was to purchase
a pair of Smartwool running socks and five Hammer gels at a local sporting
goods store.I did nothing else.The experience was intended to test whether
my body could withstand the stress of running 4+ hours with no real preparation aside
from laying out my clothes/accessories the night before.

On September 16th at 7:30 a.m. I lined up
with about 100 other runners at Cottonwood Park in cold, misty conditions with a
light north wind.I chose the 4.5 hour wave,
wanting to complete the marathon by noon, thereby assuming a pace slightly over
10 minutes per mile.Easy, I thought.

Easy enough through the first 12 miles.I cranked out a sub-10 minute per mile pace
with no problems, and felt buoyed by the ease of the effort nearly half way
through.Aerobically, there was no real
stress given the slow pace, and (surprisingly) my knees, hips, and back felt
fine.The large, supportive crowd was an
emotional boost, and the rest stops along the route allowed for frequent
refreshment (water or watered-down Gatorade).

Beyond 12 miles was a different story.First it was pain in my ankles, followed by
my calves, then the balls of my feet began to go numb.Later, my upper back and neck became tense.My hamstrings were a mess 15 miles in,
requiring frequent stops to stretch.By
mile 18 I was at a 15 minute per mile pace, walking about half of the
time.At this point my physical
condition was similar to how I’ve felt at the end of 600k brevets.Numb feet, sore shoulders, tense neck……essentially an exercise in pain
management.People I passed early in the
marathon were returning the favor.I was
even passed by a member of the ‘Worst Pace Scenario’ relay team in the last
half mile. ;-)

I finished, well outside my 4.5 hour goal, but - to place it
in perspective - more than two hours faster than my fastest 200k brevet (James
Canyon Jaunt, 2011).All-in-all, the ‘experiment’
was a success, as I came away with some useful insights when applied to
randonneuring.

The positives…

·Never once did I worry about my safety.The marathon followed shared-use trails for
most of the route, limiting interactions with automobiles.What few roads we ran were either closed or
closely supervised with crossing guards.This was nice.

·As mentioned above, the supportive atmosphere from
onlookers and marathon staff was a big plus.This was especially appreciated in the last two (rather painful) miles.

The drawbacks…

·The experience was not ‘collaborative’, as it
often is during brevets.Fellow runners
generally kept to themselves, frequently in a ‘bubble’ fostered by a
near-ubiquitous use of headphones.I don’t
regard this as a fault of marathons (they are intended to be an individual
effort, after all), it just sticks out as drawback for me.I like the idea of working together to
achieve something significant.

·Never once did I get into a mental state similar
to a ‘reflective zone’, allowing me to think deeply about difficult issues,
professional or personal.No new ideas
came to mind during the marathon.

·Post-event pain was decidedly worse following
the marathon than either of my 600k brevets.Additionally, the upper back/neck issues required a trip to the
chiropractor.

I’m thankful to all the folks who made the above insights
possible, from the organizing committee to the many support staff.The Bismarck Marathon is an excellent event.Runners in central North Dakota are fortunate
to have this marathon to look forward to each year.

With the marathon experience behind me, I’m turning my focus
to wrapping up an eventful commuting year, a topic for a forthcoming post.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

A colleague’s wedding in the Black Hills over the Memorial
Day weekend provided an opportunity to finally complete my ride of the George
S. Mickelson Trail. As reviewed
previously, I biked the Edgemont to Custer section in 2014 and the Deadwood to Rochford section in 2016, leaving approximately the middle third of the trail
between Custer and Rochford yet to be ridden.

Under overcast skies, temperatures in the low 40s, and a
light headwind, I biked north out of downtown Custer on May 26th
shortly after dawn. It felt good to
start the final section of the trail where I ended in 2014.

(Returning to the same sign, nearly three years later)

The moderate climb out of Custer felt good with the cool
morning temperatures. I wasn’t long
before I was comfortably warm, stopping briefly near the Mountain Trailhead to
snag a photo of the Crazy Horse Memorial to the east of the trail.

(Profile barely visible from the trail)

I arrived at Hill City 15 miles into the ride hoping a small
bakery might be open for a light snack and coffee. A quick detour on the main road through town
yielded a couple options, but neither were open so I continued north.

The Black Hills are composed of some of the oldest exposed rocks
in the world, estimated at more than two billion years old. The Mickelson Trail cuts directly through this
geological formation (known as the Harney
Peak Granite Batholith) on the
way to Deadwood. At four places along
the trail, the ‘cutting’ is literal, in that the trail passes through short
tunnels bored through the hard granite.
Three of the tunnels (referred to as A, B, and C) occur in rapid succession
between the Mystic and Rochford Trailheads.

(Tunnel A)

(Tunnel B)

(Tunnel C)

Shortly before
arriving at the Rochford Trailhead I enjoyed a first… …a mountain lion sighting! Though it was only a glimpse, the body size and
unmistakable dark brown tip on its tail confirmed that it was indeed a lion. The cat ran ahead of me on the trail, approximately
30 yards out, before darting into a ravine. Being a cat person, I briefly considered
stopping to cajole the large feline out of the ravine for a little mid-ride laptime. With a
schedule to keep for activities later in the day, I opted to gear down and move
quickly through the area.

(Puma concolor)

The turnaround at
the Rochford Trailhead was brief, stopping only to use the facilities, strip
off a wool undershirt, and fill my water bottles. The temperature had increased considerably,
so I was thankful for the hydrant near the shelter.

(Rochford
Trailhead)

Though my trek
north was a solo journey, multiple groups of riders were out during the return
leg. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the
excellent weather and trail conditions.

(Heading south
near Mystic Trailhead)

As I entered Hill
City, incoming clouds beckoned rain, so I opted to continue on Highway 385 to
save time. The decision was
questionable, as the busy four lane highway made for some nerve-wracking
riding. I was glad to return to the
trail at the Crazy Horse Memorial turnoff for the final downhill stretch to
Custer.

(Back on the trail with rain in the distance)

The Koga-Miyata
performed well throughout the ride. Aside
from limestone getting stuck in the cogs (no fault of the bike), I had no
problems during 80+ miles of riding. Its
comfort and reliability make it a good – albeit somewhat heavy – randonneur bike. As of this month, I’ve been riding the
Koga-Miyata for 20 years!

Monday, May 8, 2017

Jason Karp, RBA for Montana, always does a nice job
designing excellent routes. The Gallatin
Valley Rambler 200k, held on April 29th, was no exception. Using the Karp residence as a central
control, the route is essentially two out-and-back loops, first to the west
past Three Forks and the second to the southeast around (and then through)
Bozeman. Squeezed in between each loop
was an excellent lunch stop organized and prepared by Jason’s wife,
Brenda. She had grilled cheese
sandwiches, roasted pepper and tomato soup, and a nice selection of cookies to
keep us going. There was no need to eat
at convenience stores during this brevet.

(Riders gathering at the Karp residence)

Unlike my previous brevets in Montana with (at most) a
half-dozen riders, a group of 10 participated in the Rambler, with riders coming
from Bozeman, Molt, Missoula, Helena, and Jackson (Wyoming). The weather may have been a factor, as we
enjoyed mostly clear skies, light winds, and cool temperatures. It was certainly a contrast to the preceding
day, with rain/skeet/snow squalls common throughout the valley.

Like many brevets, most of the group stayed together early
on.I’ve come to place high value on
this part of the ride while warming up the legs and lungs for the day ahead.

(Heading west on Dry Creek Road)

Jason incorporated two short jaunts off Highway 205 as part
of the west loop, one to Missouri Headwaters State Park and another toward
Buffalo Jump State Park. I especially
enjoyed the latter, as it included some climbing (something I enjoy). The view overlooking the valley was well
worth the brief effort.

(Entrance overlook to Buffalo Jump State Park)

The west loop landscape was dominated by agriculture. Irrigated crop and alfalfa fields were
common, with occasional grass pastures providing new growth for an assortment
of livestock. Some of the livestock
included pack animals, as we passed a few pastures with mules.

(One of the many tilled fields with sprinkler irrigation)

(Mules!)

This was my first brevet with a recumbent randonneur. Lane, from Missoula, expertly guided his
Schlitter Encore through the 13 controls over the 10+ hour ride. I was impressed by how efficiently he managed
the many starts-and-stops, particularly through the streets of Bozeman with
dual 650b wheels.

(A fascinating machine…)

(…that looks to be an incredibly comfortable ride)

I’ve been intrigued by recumbents lately given the
challenges I have with upper back and neck strain during long rides. The recumbent riding position decreases
back/neck strain considerably.

Lane offered the opportunity to try his recumbent at the end
of the brevet. Fortunately, a large
parking lot was available across the street from Jason and Brenda’s home, so I
gave it my best shot. With excellent
guidance and encouragement from Lane, I was able to make a loop around the
parking lot on my fourth try. The
experience left me intrigued to learn more about recumbents.

One aspect of riding in Montana that I particularly enjoy
are the people I get to ride with. Friendly
and thoughtful are two words that immediately come to mind. My experience with a rear flat near the end
of the ride underscored my positive feelings towards these great group of
people.

(Rear flat within 10 miles of the finish…)

(…and the group I was riding with stopped and waited. Nice!)

The Gallatin Valley Rambler 200k is an ideal early-season
brevet. Starting and ending in Belgrade,
Montana, the route covers a significant portion of the Gallatin Valley with
limited climbing, mostly quiet roads, and a visit to the Missouri River
headwaters, all surrounded by 360°
of beautiful snow-capped mountains. It
is a great way to start the randonneuring season.

Saturday, April 8, 2017

There’s a new bike in the stable.A Rawland Nordavinden.The search for this frame began over 18
months ago, resulting in fortunate find last January.Some components were repurposed from my 2004
Specialized Roubiax, which hadn’t been ridden since 2014.

Rene Herse cranks, an SPF
bottom bracket, Paul Component center-pull brakes, and Compass tires complemented
Dura Ace derailleurs from the Roubaix. Added
to this were a Nitto randonneur touring handlebar, stem, and bar-end plugs. A Brooks saddle and Acorn bag were taken from
another bike, and paired with matching leather handlebar tape (with Newbaums
bar tape and twine as enhancement).

It took me over a year to get everything lined up for a
final build, which was expertly done by Lance Larson at Larson's Cyclery.The wait was worth it.I really like the outcome, and am looking forward to getting the bike out on the road this spring.